Last Call
by arianapeterson19
Summary: There was that moment, the calm before the storm, that no one remembered after the storm hit, a storm so intense that they didn't know how they would stick together but their lives, so hopelessly intertwined, would never be separated. Follow our favorite characters as they tackle the end of their senior year and see how one person, if it is the right person, can change everyone. AU
1. To be Cool

The music flowed softly in the background as Trina, clad in a snow-white dress, danced upon the stage. The story she constructed with her fluid movements was beautiful and sad, a story of love found and lost. The school sat, transfixed, mesmerized by the aerial being who, for once, was performing flawlessly. Not a soul twitched in the darkened room, all eyes fixed upon the lit stage.

The music stopped.

The auditorium erupted in ringing applause.

-break-

Courtney, Sinjin's younger sister, was hidden behind a mountain of books at her favorite library table in the corner. It was a rare occasion that anyone would venture this far back to peruse a dusty tome. This was why Courtney liked it. She could be alone with her friendly books. She could lose herself in her studies. No one would bother her. None of her twittering classmates would be caught dead in the library, not that the librarians would let them in anyway. They were called the Library Tyrant's for a reason.

"Hello Courtney."

-break-

_Click-click-click. Bang! Bang! _The locker opened.

Tossing the second-hand books carelessly into the metal cage before slamming the door shut, Tori chatted with her friends. The day had finally come to a close and the weekend was upon them. Tori, a bubbly and friendly girl, looked forward to the upcoming party at Beck's house. She was ready to get out of school and waited for her sister, Trina, to come to her locker so they could go.

"You're coming tonight, right?" asked Andre as he threw books into his bag.

"Of course," laughed Tori. "Do you need me to bring anything Beck?"

"No," said Beck, not turning from his conversation with Jade three lockers down. "Just try not to be late."

"I'll see what I can do."

-break-

"Leave me alone," grunted Courtney.

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" asked Trina, her voice high pitched and girlie. She glanced over her shoulder to roll her eyes at the giggling gaggle of girls behind a nearby bookshelf.

"No," responded Courtney irritably, wanting to be left to finish her homework.

"Oh come on," begged Trina, lowering her voice so her friends wouldn't have a dream of hearing. "It'll be fun."

"What are you planning on doing?"

"I thought we might meet up at L.I.T. and grab a bite to eat before catching a movie. So will you come?"

"Fine, if you leave me alone now."

"Great! I'll see you at say, 5:30pm? Great! Bye!"

Trina pranced off with her friends, her movements graceful and flowing. They made it out of the library before cracking up.

-break-

Music blared out of the speakers on her desk as Tori danced around her room in green patterned boxer shorts and a black sports bra. She sang along, periodically opening a dresser drawer and rummaging around before continuing to dance.

"I'm gonna break you little heart, watch you take the fall!" sang Tori. "Laughing all the way to the hospital."

"Tori!" yelled Trina over the music. "Can I borrow your blue sweater?"

"Sure, just return it when you're done."

"Okay. Thanks!"

Had Tori turned around, she would have notice that Trina was already wearing her favorite blue sweater, but it didn't matter, she was too excited about the party to worry about her sister stealing her clothes, yet again.

-break-

Courtney pulled on her new green shirt and jeans and stared at herself critically in the mirror. Her mousy brown hair was pulled out of her face by a blue hair ribbon. She was not ugly but she was not beautiful either. Pale from spending more time in fluorescent lights than sunlight, it complimented her grey eyes. She practiced smiling. It transformed her face into that of a Hollywood star.

Trina had been her best friend for years. It was something Courtney never understood. How could gorgeous, popular Trina Vega be friends with invisible Courtney Van Cleef, so many years younger than her?

Her alarm went off, signaling the time. She went to meet up with Trina.

-break-

It was nearing midnight and Tori would need to leave soon to get home by curfew. She texted her mother, asking to have curfew extended to two am, just this once.

"Let's have a sword fight!" suggested Robby.

A general cheer of agreement greeted this statement and everyone headed outside to organize a tournament. Tori followed, laughing at their enthusiasm. It was an ideal night, everyone was enjoying themselves and each other's company. For just a moment, a single instant in time, everything was well in the world.

Tori's phone buzzed with a text message. It said one word.

_Okay._

-break-

Holly Vega was a busy mother of three children. Holly's first child was Trina. Trina alone had inherited her mother's blue eyes and thick mane of hair. She was graceful, beautiful, and popular, a varsity cheerleader-not that there were many sports played at Hollywood Arts High School- and while she had been held back a year (unfairly, if you asked Holly), she was still about to finish her senior year and Holly couldn't be more proud. Her middle child, Mason "Moose", was Tori's twin brother. The two were seniors as well and a handful. Moose was on the football team and an actor. He resembled his father with his sleek, wavy brown hair and strong facial features with matching solid build. Tori had the same brown hair that loosely curled but she was a singer and had a willowy build. She could have been a dancer like her sister but no matter how hard Holly tried, Tori had little interest in dancing. She was full of energy and rarely lied, a disconcerting habit.

Having just given Tori permission to stay out late, Holly went to bed. Moose was watching television in the rec room and had agreed to wait up for his sister. Trina was staying at a friend's house.

Holly turned out her light.

-break-

"Bye Courtney!" called Trina, walking backwards across the street and waving at her friend who had already disappeared into the darkness.

She glanced at her watch. She was supposed to be at Nozu soon to meet up with her friend Lacy but she had been busy chatting with Courtney and lost track of time. Trina had only recently made it into the ring of the popular clique and as such, never mentioned Courtney or her friendship with her. Courtney was her cliques favorite victim to poke fun at and Trina would plummet in the social polls if her friendship with the bookworm got out.

Turning, Trina continued on towards her sister's car, which she had borrowed for the night. Headlights met her mid stride.

***Hello! Long time, no post, right? Well, here, I'm trying this out, it's going to seem a bit disjointed but I swear, if you just keep reading it will all make sense. It's a different writing style, so we shall see. I hope you like it, or at least give it a chance. It's going to follow several different people, but primarily the main crew, I think.**

**Well, feedback is welcome. Thank you for the support. Hope you like this story.**

**Always-Ari**


	2. When it Rains

At 1:56am, Tori parked her mother's light grey minivan in the driveway. Tori had let Trina borrow her car because Trina's was in the shop getting new transmission. Tori could never understand it but appearances were a big part of Trina's world and quite frankly, Tori just couldn't bring herself to worry too much about what other people thought of her. So since Tori did not mind driving the minivan, she took that, letting her sister drive her green Land Rover.

Tori chatted with Moose for a bit in the living room before heading up the stairs to bedroom. Her room was dominated by the king sized bed with a soft purple comforter. The desk was shoved under the window with a picture of Trina, Moose, and her as children at the fair. They were laughing and happy, before Trina had become self centered, before her parents had gotten a divorce, it was the only picture on a desk littered with papers, pens, and books. Tori threw on a pair of sleep shorts, an old shirt she had stolen from Moose, and climbed into bed.

At 2:31am, two things happened simultaneously. Tori got a phone call and the doorbell rang.

"Hello?" answered Tori, crawling back out of bed.

"Tori?" came the familiar voice of Lacy, Trina's friend, from the other end. "Hi. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, no," said Tori, yawning as she meandered down the stairs to see who was at the door.

"Good. Look, I'm sorry to be calling but Trina isn't here and I was wondering if you knew where she was."

Holly Vega stood in the entry way with two police officers. Tori peeked around the corner of the stairwell to listen.

"There has been an accident," said one of the officers in a burly voice that sounded like rain hitting a gravel road. "I'm sorry, Miss Vega, but your daughter, Katrina, was killed in a hit and run."

Tori went numb and sat heavily on the stairs.

"Tori?" called Lacy. "Are you still there? Hello?"

"I don't think Trina is going to be able to make it tonight," whispered Tori.

"Is something wrong?"

"She's not well. I'm sorry. Goodnight."

Tori hung up the phone, noticed her brother had joined her on the stairs, in time to listen to the news finally hit her mother.

"God no!" screamed Holly in anguish. "Why? You took the wrong one! You took the wrong girl!"

Moose put his arm around Tori, asking her what had happened, why was there mother yelling, and Tori heard herself answer as if she were underwater or in a cave, the words reaching her distorted and wavering. Then he was saying something, hugging her, but all she could hear was her mother's voice, repeating over and over how the wrong girl was taken from her.

**-Break-**

The next day was more difficult that anyone thought possible. Tori spent the night cleaning the house in preparation for the onset of visitors she knew would come. She could not sleep, she could not think, she wanted to do anything but relive that evening. Moving as if in a trance, the house was spotless by the time the sun decided to show its face, it's light filtering through the picture windows with more nerve than anything should posses. For lack of anything better to do, Tori took a shower and made breakfast. By 7:30am, she was restless and did the thing she knew would help.

Tori put on her headphones, grabbed her music, and ran.

**-Break-**

The clouds had come out of nowhere and the rain was falling hard. It was as if some eternal being was mourning for the lost child. Pounding the sidewalk, Tori ran, ran from her house, ran from her mother, ran from the truth, and ran just to be running. The rain was not a problem, it just formed a nuisance and a sense of normality that tethered her to the earth, keeping her from being swept up in the turmoil that raged all around her.

She had been running for hours and had gone miles without caring where she was headed, as long as she kept moving because if she just kept moving than nothing would ever catch up to her.

Tori tripped.

**-Break-**

Holly sobbed uncontrollably as people moved about trying to console her. Family and friends, neighbors and coworkers, everyone was there, offering empty words and condolences. Asking how they could help, as if that was possible.

But no one could bring back Holly's little baby girl.

Moose answered questions and made polite conversation. He had become an adult overnight since his mother was incapable of being one.

"Moose," said Beck, giving him a brief hug. "I'm so sorry man. How are you holding up? Where's Tori?"

"She left about four hours ago," answered Moose automatically. "She went running."

"Where?"

"I don't know. I don't think she knows. She should be back by now."

"I'll go find her. Don't worry about it. And I'm really sorry about Trina, man."

**-Break-**

It would be so easy to stay on the ground and be swept away by the rain. It would be easy to just give up. Her shaking limbs enjoyed the lack of movement but her mind did not. She must not stop. She had to get up. She had to.

"Tori?" came a voice from above.

The rain quit pounding down in her head for the first time since it had started pouring out of the sky. Tori struggled into a sitting position and stared at the person, who turned out to be Beck, his jeans soaked, unbuttoned plaid shirt flapping in the wind to reveal glimpses of the grey undershirt he had on, his face concerned.

"Come on, let's get you home," said Beck, dragging Tori to her feet.

"No!" exclaimed Tori, trying to pull away from him, her long hair dangling down her back, making her look a bit like a drowned orangutan with dark hair. "I'm not going back there. Not right now, please don't make me."

"You can't run forever Tor," said Beck gently.

"I'm not running," protested Tori, pleading. "Please, don't make me go back there. Please Beck, please."

Beck studied her for a moment. She was wet and cold, dark circles highlighted her eyes, which were wide, devoid of tears, and off.

"Fine," conceded Beck, running a hand through his now wet locks. "Let's at least go to my house where it is dry."

Tori nodded and followed him to his car.

**-Break-**

For the first time in ages, books held no comfort for Courtney. Books could not change the fact the Trina was dead. Courtney was the last one to hear her voice, the last one, aside from the unknown driver, to see her alive.

Books changed nothing.

-**Break-**

How could this happen?

Ryder sat in his dorm room, staring at the confederate flag hung above his bed. The red and blue, soothing colors, made him sick to his stomach. So much red…

Too much red…

***Hello! So, I wanted to add another chapter because, well, I hate leaving stories with just the first chapter up. I never feel like the first chapter does it justice. Okay, so yeah. I hope that you are enjoying this so far.**

**Reviews enjoyed, support adored, flames tolerated. **

**Always-Ari**


	3. Several Days, Attack!

Tori huddled on the couch of Beck's RV, wearing a large hoodie and jeans she had borrowed from Beck while her own clothes dried. The television was off but the radio was on low. Beck, having called Moose to tell him that he had Tori safe at his place, was sitting on the other end of the couch, not sure what to do. Tori said nothing and Beck knew better than the pressure her into talking. She did things on her own time and opening up was not her strong point.

"_You wrap your arms around her, but she twirls away,"_ sand the radio. "_And she leaves you with the promise, that she'll come back someday."_

"She always liked her best," whispered Tori, staring forward with pain filled eyes.

"What?" asked Beck, sitting up and leaning forward a fraction as if that would help him think of the right thing to say.

"My mom," clarified Tori. "She always liked Trina best. I guess I always knew that, but, I don't know…"

"I'm sure that's not true."

Tori looked up at him and he could see the torture going on behind her eyes. "When the police told her that Trina was…what had happened, she screamed, 'You took the wrong one. You took the wrong girl.'"

It hung in the air for a moment before Beck, not entirely adept at emotional confrontations, did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped a shaking Tori in his arms, pulling her to him as she buried her face on his shoulder.

And for the first time in years, Tori cried.

**-Break-**

Not knowing what else to do, Ryder dialed her number. She always knew how to make him forget everything.

Six rings. No answer. Then-

"Greetings my peeps! It's Trina. Leave a message and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. If it's you, mom, I'm on my way home. If it's Moose, no I won't give you a ride to your friend's house. And if it's Tori, I'll return whatever I borrowed when I get home, I swear. But it looks way better on me. Bye!"

"Trina? It's me, Ryder. Trina, I need your help. I've done something terrible. Just, call me when you get this."

**-Break-**

It was getting late, the sun had finally set, not that anyone could tell behind all of the clouds that still poured rain. Tori was fast asleep on Beck's couch, still in his clothes, having fallen asleep directly after her break down. Thoughtfully, he had covered her with his worn black and grey striped blanket and opted to call in reinforcements. He called Moose who told him it was best to keep Tori away from Holly for a while and let her stay over and confirmed what Tori had said and more; apparently, Holly had been going at it about Tori all day. Moose would grab some food and head over as well. He could not stand his mother hurting his sister like that, no matter what the circumstances. Then Beck talked to Robby, Andre, and Jade, and Cat, all of whom agreed to come over.

As Tori slept, everyone gathered in the kitchen a few yards away and discussed how they would proceed.

"So what do we do now?" asked Robby.

"I wish I was older," said Andre quietly. "I keep thinking that I'm going to say the wrong thing and just make everything worse. I wish I was older and knew what to do."

"I know," said Moose sadly. "It hasn't really hit me yet that Trina's not coming home. And Tori can't go home right now. She cannot be around our mom. And then there's the funeral to tend to. We'll take it one step at a time."

"Feels like several steps are trying to attack us at once," said Cat, her voice more subdued than normal and no one wanted to admit how right she was.

**-Break-**

Holly spent her days crying and moaning around the house, sometimes in her room, sometimes in Trina's room, and sometimes on the couch, while the twins stayed with whomever could have them. Holly's co-workers and often Gary, her ex-husbands old co-worker, stayed with her, making her meals, and making sure she didn't do anything drastic.

At the wake, Holly, her lank dark hair in a severe bun, wore a long black dress and sobbed in the corner, surrounded constantly by a steady stream of people. Moose wore nice black slacks and suit coat and stood by the door to greet people. Tori had on a pretty black dress and meandered around, talking to everyone she met. Her eyes sparkled as she talked with tears she refused to shed but as long as she was talking, she would be okay. Her friends never strayed too far, all in their good dark clothes, unsure of what to do but knowing that if they had to, they would do anything to make it better. The worst part, for them, was the fact that Tori didn't ask for help, didn't want to talk about it, and Moose was too busy staying busy to let it all sink in.

At the funeral the next morning, Holly sat front and center in the service, clad entirely in black. Moose helped carry in the casket, tears streaming down his face, his tie a soft pink. Every person in the church had on some form of pink. Tori, sitting in the same row as her mother but at the end of the row, had on a black skirt and pink top, one of Trina's. With it on, she stood up and addressed the numerous crowd; it seemed like the entire school had showed up.

"Hello," began Tori, her voice clear and steady but her face almost unrecognizable by how blank it was. "I am Tori Vega. Trina was my older sister and she was a great girl.

"Trina loved to perform, dancing especially. I swear she was born dancing. Every person she met could remember her. You could not help it; she was a memorable person, outgoing, and said the most outrageous things. The last time I spoke to her was on the phone, about an hour before the accident. She had called to ask if the next day I would go shopping with her to get some hat she wanted. I was at a party and she was with a friend, so the call was short. I agreed, reminded her to drive carefully with my car, and return my sweater when she was done. Right before we hung up I said, 'I love you Trina.' She laughed and replied, 'Love you too, Tori.' And that was the last time we spoke. Ever."

Tori paused for a long moment, as if to gather her thoughts but really, it was to push the overwhelming reality at bay for just a bit longer.

"I know Trina is in a better place-she has to be- and I am not mad at the person who sent her there. I forgive them and we all should. Anger and hate will not bring Trina back and would be an insult to her memory.

"Life will go on. We just have to remember that Trina is still with us, dancing along with the angels and depending on us to continue on with our lives. So let's make it one heck of a show, for her."

***Okay...So the thing is, I was going to keep Trina alive, you know, have one story where someone doesn't die, but...well, things happened and the story decided to head in a different direction. So, I hope you are liking the story so far. Review welcome, you all are awesome.**

**Always-Ari**


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